Improvement in slat-irons for carriage-tops



.F. B. PL UMB.

Slat-Irons for Carriage-Tops Patented June 1, 1875.

Whzeaae: J4 flan 9% THE GRAPHIC CO.PHOTO -LITH.39&4I PARK PLAGE PLY-*I'IED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

FREEMAN B. PLUMB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO J. B. BREWSTER & OO-

IMPROVEMENT IN SLAT-IRONS FOR CARRIAGE-TOPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,885, dated Junel,1875; application filed February 26, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREEMAN B. PLUMB, of the city of New York, countyand State of New York, have invented an Improved Slat- Iron for FoldingCarriage-Tops, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a side view of a carriage provided with my improvement. Fig.2 is a detail side view, on an enlarged scale, of my improved slat-iron.Fig. 3 is an edge View of the joint of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention relates to a new construction and joint of the slat-ironswhich are used to connect the lower ends of the bows of a foldingcarriage-top, and to join the same to the carriage-body.

My invention consists in making the middle slat-iron in form of aninverted cross, its rigidly-projecting arms serving to receive thepivots that secure the lower ends of the back and front bows, all ashereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing, the letters A, B, and 0 represent three slat-irons,united to connect the bows at one side of a carriage-top. The middleslat-iron B is perforated at its lower end, to receive the bolt by whichthe entire carriage-top is attached to the carriage-body. The saidmiddle iron B is made in form of an inverted cross, as is clearly shownin Fig. 2, its projecting arms a and b, which are formed in one piecewith its shank, serving, respectively, to receive the pivots thatconnect the irons A and G to B. The lower ends of the bows A and G arebent slightly outward, as shown in Fig. 3, so that their upperparts mayi be properly in line with the middle bow and with each other. Thisobject may, however, also be attained by slightly bending the ends ofthe arms a b.

The advantage of the slat-iron construction herein described over thatnow in use is, that greater strength and a neater and lighter appearanceare gained, and that the bows are more equally separated and lie moreeven, presenting a more symmetrical appearance when folded.

Another advantage is, that in folding the top together, the back arm I)of the cross is swung under the pivot 01 of the entire top, whereby theback bow is drawn slightly forward, whereas the front bow is drawnslightly backward. The back of the folded top will then be nearlystraight up and down, instead of having the upper bows farther in thanthe lower, the effect produced by the ordinary mode of attaching theslat-irons.

The drawing shows but three slat-irons; but a larger number may bejoined, in which case the length of the arms a and b, or either, isincreased, so that to one or both of said arms the ends of two or moreslat-irons may be pivoted.

I claim as my invention- The cross-shaped slat-iron B, made in one piecewith the rigid arms a b, that project from opposite sides of saidslat-iron, in combination with the slat-irons A and O, that are respectively pivoted to the arms aand b, so that the pivot of the back bowwill, in folding, come beneath the pivot dof the slat-iron,substantially as shown and described.

, F. B. PLUMB.

Witnesses:

B. SOHUYLER TUCKER, OAIRN-GROss DoWNEY.

